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Chapter 2: Be Crystal Clear On What You Want

“The greatest lessons are learned by playing the game. This book can open your eyes to winning, your way.”

- Ken KendrickManaging Partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks

… Living a Fantastic Life takes honesty. The first step in knowing what you want in life is to take stock of your life as it is. Most people don’t like to examine their lives too carefully because they’re scared of what they’ll find.

For instance, my friend Joe wanted to be the top real estate agent in his city. He did well for himself, but he found that he wasn’t nearly reaching the deal flow that he wanted. For years, he thought that the cards would land his way, but they never did. He was working hard and putting in long days, but he never stopped to take a look at what those days really entailed. Once he did, he saw a pattern of unhealthy behavior that was hampering his growth.

The first step in knowing what you want in life is to take stock of your life as it is.

Joe needed to redefine what it meant to work hard. He took care of listings that came his way, but did not focus on expanding his business. For him, an eight-to-ten-hour day seemed like a lot, but, like I did early in my life, he was really working in his business, not on it. What’s more, after the workday, he often found himself at the bar having a few drinks with buddies. A few drinks turned into a few more, and a handful of nights a month turned into every other day.

Once Joe got the courage to examine his life honestly, he found himself in the throws of alcohol dependency. Excessive drinking handicapped his ability to create the life he wanted. Rather than use his “off” hours to grow professionally, he drank. By the time he was aware of how much time he had squandered in bars, he came to an even scarier realization—Joe was an alcoholic. And unless he addressed this issue, he’d never get ahead. Joe joined AA.

Fast-forward and Joe is now sober. Through the process of examining his behaviors and making key changes, he’s radically altered his life. Instead of hitting the bars after showing properties, Joe began to network and study his business. Instead of being too tired at night to do a bit of extra work, he found new energy he didn’t know he possessed, that he used to pursue new listings and expand his business. Instead of being out too much, Joe found himself present, laughing and enjoying time with his wife and kids. Today, twenty years later, he is one the top agents in Phoenix. Joe is a community leader, a great dad, and a wonderful guy—and it all started with examining his life.

How about you? What does your life look like? Have you ever stopped to take stock and see how you’re allocating your time and energy towards the most important things in your life? It may seem like a scary thing to do, but if you want to live the Fantastic Life, it is essential. Do it today.

Excerpts...

Chapter 1

Know Your Story

“Write your own epitaph.” I’ve never been a fan of this sentiment. Because in the scope of life, it matters little what your epitaph says. What does matter is ...